New School, New Show!

Regular readers will know that Science2U often works with Mersey&CheshireSTEM to deliver Chemistry at Work events at Daresbury labs in Cheshire.
During one of those events we met the communications officer from Mexichem UK in Runcorn.
After some negotiations we were sponsored to produce a show on the theme of solids, liquids and gases to be delivered to a Runcorn school. Mexichem make refrigerants and asthma inhaler propellants among other things.
So we have created a show for secondary schools which looks at the properties of materials and changes in state.

This week we delivered it to the chosen school Sandymoor free school in Runcorn.

As a very new school Sandymoor is still small altho' every time we go there are new pupils and something exciting is happening. This time there were more portable classrooms but just down the road we could see their new building emerging over the tree tops. They should be able to move in next September.
For now they don't really have a space large enough to contain the whole school so we agreed to deliver the show twice which was actually good for us because it meant we got two bites at the cherry.
We took along our latest gizmos - two huge gunge tubes - which are wonderful for demonstrating viscosity and so easy to pop one in a cold place and one somewhere warm to show how temperature affects the liquid.

We looked at some very unusual solids, some really strange liquids and used lots of dry ice.

Mexichem had given us some amazing facts about their asthma propellant - approx 8.4 billion doses are used every year.
We really like this show, it has some great aspects so with a little tweaking we are going to put it on our regular programme - all we need is a name!

A day out in Chester

Science2U had a super day with Upton Heath CofE Primary school in Chester. 

The science co-ordinator Emma had very wisely decided to hold the school science week early - in other words outside the usual March dates for National Science and Engineering Week. She knows from experience that science presenters get booked up very quickly during those dates so her school were having their special science week in February.

All week scientists have been coming and going working with various classes doing hands on science.  Some of the classes have been out to experience science learning outside the classroom. 

Then on Thursday it was our turn to bring exciting science to the whole school.

The theme for national Science and Engineering Week this year is Invention & Discovery and we have written a super new show for the event.

Starting from the premise that scientists are always asking questions we look at some quirky links between objects such as instant snow and astronauts......pirates and the rhinovirus........and we investigate modern materials and find out their use in our everyday lives.

Did you now that those hydrogel balls that we love and flower arrangers use are similar to those used to clean water conserve water in developing countries?

The show has the same basic content for all ages but the delivery differs to suit the audience - a bit more science vocabulary for some and lots science magic for others.

So polishing up our pirate ARRGGGHHs and fluffing up our big rhinovirus we spent the morning exploring the wonders of the scientific mind.

First the juniors and after break the infants - a quick clear away before lunch and then two sessions in the classroom with year 2.

These lucky children got very up close and personal with the instant snow, raced liquids, made paper change colour just by the heat of their hands and then we all made bath bombs to take home. 

Soon the year 2 classrooms and corridor were smelling wonderfully of bubble gum...the fragrance we use in our bath bombs.

The verdict from the children....awesome! From the teachers.....well they can't wait for their turn! We are back at the school for a staff cluster training session just after half term when they will be able to get their hands on the goodies!!